Layers with patterns of through-holes or perforations form part of many industrial products, such as the layer nearest to the wound surface in wound dressings, for example. A common method of producing the pattern of holes is to punch the holes out. One problem with punching is dealing with the waste, that is to say the parts which in punching are pressed out of the material, and to ensure than none of the waste ends up in the finished product. This problem is accentuated by the fact that the perforating process must be performed rapidly so that the speed of the processing line is not limited by the perforating process.
The object of the present invention is to solve this problem.